Employee Travel Guide

A Guide for Units funded by Student-Fees or Institutional Funds

Executive Summary

This travel guide pertains to classified and unclassified employees from the departments listed below that have their payments processed through the Auxiliaries & Activities Business Center finance office in 215 Memorial Union. Please refer to the Student Travel Guide for student travel.

  • Student Leadership & Involvement
/
  • Memorial Union

  • Recreational Sports
/
  • Childcare and Family Resources

  • Student Health Services
/
  • Counseling and Psychological Services

  • Diversity Development
/
  • Intercultural Student Services

  • Associated Students of OSU (ASOSU)
/
  • Educational Activities

  • Student Media
/
  • Student Incidental Fees Committee (SIFC)

This guide will explain the four travel stages.

1)Planning. In this stage, you identify what the event (program, conference, workshop, competition or retreat) is, who is going and how will you get there? Then, you investigate your options.

2)Arranging. Once your travel is pre-approved and your travel planning and budgeting is complete, you can start the arranging stage. In this stage, you work with the AABC MU to make arrangements.

3)Travelling. When you leave for your trip, you need to bring items such as your ID, money and itinerary. During your travel, retain your receipts for reimbursement.

4)Returning. When you return from your trip, you can return your receipts and complete a form to request reimbursement within 60 days.

AABCMU Travel Contact

Travel arrangements are made through the Auxiliaries & Activities Business Center (AABC) Memorial Union (MU) finance office in the Memorial Union, room 215. The AABC MU Travel Contact may be contacted at any stage for assistance and will work with you to ensure that all reservations and travel related payments are made according to university policy and in a timely manner for your travel needs.

Contact order for travel / Name / Phone / Email
Primary / Traci Yates / 541-737-2257 /
Backup 1 / Kay Kim / 541-737-7558 /
Backup 2 / Susan Lane / 541-737-9220 /

AABC MU Website

You can find the travel forms mentioned in this guide on the AABC MU website. The links for travel policies are provided below for your reference.

Website title / Website address / Forms available
AABC MU website / / Itemized Receipt Affidavit
Student Travel Request Form
Purchase Request Log In / / Purchase Request (PR)
OSU Travel Policy /
Oregon University System (OUS) Travel Policy /

Travel Stages

1)Planning

Pre-approval is required from your budget authority or supervisor. You should plan your trip as far in advance as possible to secure the following benefits:

  1. Reasonable prices
  2. Events that require registration (e.g. conferences) usually offer an “early bird” discounted rate if you register early.
  3. Since airfare is highly subject to change, early planning can save your organization hundreds of dollars per traveler on flight costs.
  4. More available options
  5. Hotels and airfare options are usually very limited and undesirable if you start your search near the event date.
  6. For events that require registration, you may find that registration closed if you start planning near the deadline.
  7. Smoother processing
  8. Planning your trip far in advance ensures that as many arrangements can be prepaid as possible and reduces your out-of-pocket expenses and receipts needed for reimbursement.

Three Keys for Successful Travel

When planning your travel, please consider these three keys for successful travel:

  1. Safety. Use safe transportation and, if staying overnight, stay at a hotel located in a safe area.
  2. Efficiency. Take a direct route to your destination and stay at a hotel close to the event location.
  3. Economy. Secure the most economical travel accommodations by planning as soon as possible and investigating your options to ensure reasonable prices and availability.

Six Travel Elements

To ensure that all trip details are clearly planned and meet your budget, please consider the following travel elements:

  1. Who will attend? Who is your group’s contact person for this trip?
  2. What event are you attending?
  3. When is the event held? When will you depart? When will you return?
  4. Where is the event held? If your travel lasts more than one day, where will you stay overnight?
  5. Why are you attending this event?
  6. How will you travel to/from the event?

Although a travel request form is optional for employee/staff travel, you may use one to gain a comprehensive picture of your trip’s six travel elements. You can find a travel request form on the AABC MU web site’s travel page.

Please do notmake any reservations during the planning phase. The process for making travel arrangements is discussed in the arranging stage section, which begins on page 10

Investigating Travel Options

While you plan for the six travel elementsabove, please consider thecosts and track your travel budget to ensure that your trip can be afforded.The following ground transportation, airfare and lodging sections providesuggested travel options. You may also contact the AABC MU Travel Contact (see page 1 for contact information) for travel planning assistance and a budget template.

Event Registration

For events that require a registration fee, you can usually obtain registration prices and deadlines on the event’s website. Some conferences will offer an early discounted registration rate, which you are encouraged to pursue.

If a conference offersoptional workshops, seminars and networking events that require an additional fee, please consider the cost and whether it is an appropriate business expense. The department cannot pay for personal tours offered by the conference or reimburse meals provided.

Ground Transportation

Your ground transportation arrangements will depend on whether your trip includes lodging and airfare. Please refer to the chart below for the three trip types, the commutes involved and which of the following ground transportation sections apply.

Travel Type #1 - Event Only

Ground Transportation between OSU and the Event

The below options are available for travel directly from OSU to the event without taking a flight. To drive to the event from OSU, the driving distance must be reasonably safe and efficient.

  • Motor Pool
  • You may rent a vehicle at University Motor Pool on the OSU campus. To ensure that vehicles are available, you need to reserve your vehicle as far in advance as possible.
  • Motor Pool provides the following five benefits:
  • The rental car’s cost can be directly charged to your organization’s funds via OSU index.As a result, you do not pay out-of-pocket and no reimbursement is necessary.
  • Automatic $1 million liability protection
  • Full loss/damage waiver protection
  • Roadside assistance
  • Full selection of vehicle styles and sizes
  • Motor Pool website:
  • Motor Pool phone (Corvallis): 541-737-4141
  • Note: Renting a Motor Pool vehicle is usually cheaper than reimbursing private vehiclemileage for day trips longer than 60 miles.
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car
  • OSU has a contract with Enterprise Rent-A-Car that provides the following four benefits to employees, staff or students renting a car for OSU business travel:
  • The rental car’s cost can be directly billed to your organization’s funds via OSU index.As a result, you do not pay the rental cost out-of-pocket. However, you may need to pay the gas out-of-pocket.
  • For vehicles rented in Oregon and returned to an alternate branch in Oregon, no additional charges will be assessed.
  • Insurance coverage is included.
  • Enterprise website:
  • Train or Bus
  • You can investigate these travel options using an online search engine or contacting an OSU-contracted travel agency (see page 9 for contact info).
  • Personal Car
  • Although driving a personal car is an option, it should remain a last resort for the following reasons:
  • Car insurance and liability is the driver’s responsibility.
  • The driver must wait until after the trip for a mileage reimbursement and cannot receive an advance payment.
  • The car must be in sound working condition for the safety of all passengers.
  • Private vehicle mileage may be determined by odometer readings or a mapping website.
  • The starting point for mileage is your home or your work station, whichever is closer to the destination.

Travel Type #2 – Event and Lodging

For transportation between OSU and the event/lodging, please refer to the options provided in “Ground Transportation between OSU and the Event” on page 4.

Ground Transportation between Lodging and the Event

If your trip includes lodging, you may need to plan your commute between your lodging location and the event. If your commute is farther than a safe walking distance, you may consider the following options:

  • Complimentary Shuttle
  • Since some events and hotels may provide complimentary shuttle services, please check first what travel accommodations your event and hotel provide and utilize those options when available.
  • Taxis and other public transportation
  • You can search taxi and public transportation options using an online search engine.
  • Rental Car
  • For a large student group, a rental car may be an economical and efficient option. Please refer to the “Enterprise Rent-A-Car” or “Motor Pool” sections on page4 for more information.

Travel Type #3 Event, Lodging, and Airfare

For transportation between lodging and the event, please refer to “Ground Transportation between Lodging and the Event” on page 4.

Ground Transportation between OSU and Airport

If your trip includes taking a flight, you need to plan your travel to the airport. The following transportation options are available for travel to the airport:

  • HUT Shuttle
  • The HUT shuttle company provides roundtrip shuttle service between OSU and the Portland airport. Since HUT does not provide a discount to OSU, please check the HUT website for rates.
  • HUT shuttle website:
  • The HUT shuttle may be direct billed through the travel agency or by calling the HUT shuttle office directly.
  • Rental Car
  • When renting a car to drive from Corvallis to the Portland airport, OSU prefers that you use Enterprise Rent-A-Carinstead of Motor Pool. OSU has a contract with Enterprise that allows you to drop off and return the rental car at the Enterprise airport location without incurring airport parking fees.
  • Enterprise website:
  • You may pick up an Enterprise rental car in Corvallis, drop off at the Portland Airport Enterprise office, and drive the car back to Corvallis without incurring any parking fees.
  • Please refer to the “Enterprise Rent-A-Car” section on page 44 for more information.
  • Personal Car
  • Driving a personal car should be a last resort as indicated in the previous section, “Ground Transportation between OSU and the Event.”

Ground Transportation between the Airport and Lodging

If you take a flight for your trip, you need to plan your transportation between the destination airport and your lodging. You may investigate these options to determine which ones are available.

  • Complimentary Shuttle
  • Since some events and hotels may provide complimentary shuttle services, please check first what travel accommodations your event and hotel provide and utilize those options when available.
  • Non-complimentary Shuttle
  • If both your conference and lodging do not provide a shuttle, you may request approval to reserve a shuttle. You can search shuttle options, such as SuperShuttle or AirportShuttles.com, using an online search engine or contact Teel’s Travel Agency (see page 9 for contact info and more information).
  • Taxis and other public transportation
  • You can search taxi and public transportation options using an online search engine.

Hotel Lodging

The following order is preferred for securing your lodging:

  1. Determine whether the event registration includes lodging. Some events will provide lodging as part of registration for the event. If the event registration includes lodging, please use the lodging provided.
  2. Investigate the event-sponsored hotel(s). Events will usually offer a discounted rate at one or more hotels near the event location. However, you need to start planning your trip far in advance to ensure availability for your group.
  3. Event-sponsored hotel price restrictions:
  4. You may stay at an event-sponsored hotel using the event-sponsored rate. However, you must submit documentation, such as a conference agenda or web page from the event showing this rate.
  5. Request WSCA lodging from the Azumano travel agency. OSU holds a contract with the Azumano travel agency, which offers lodging discounts through WSCA (Western States Contracting Alliance). If you contact the Azumano travel agency and request WSCA lodging, an Azumano agent can provide discounted lodging options near the event location:

Azumano Travel Agency
Local area number: / 541-757-9792
Email address: /
  1. Note: A credit card is required to book WSCA lodging through Azumano. You would use a personal credit card and request reimbursement after the trip within 60 days. For reimbursement information, please refer to the Returning section, which starts on page 25.
  1. Search for hotels near the event location. If the event registration does not provide lodging, the event-sponsored hotel is unavailable, and a WSCA rate is unavailable, your last resort is to search hotel options online.
  2. Lodging price restrictions:
  3. For Oregon and most out-of-state cities, you are limited to $118 per night per person (effective January 1, 2014).
  4. For certain high-cost cities, please check the following web site for the applicable rate:
  5. Exception: If the hotel-sponsored rate is higher than the $118 rate or applicable rate for high-cost cities, your hotel price limit can be the hotel-sponsored rate if you provide documentation of the event-sponsored hotel price as stated above.
  6. Hotel search suggestions:
  7. Suggested hotel search sites:

Name / Web Address
Google Hotel Finder /
Expedia /
Travelocity /
  1. Hotel search sites, such as the three listed above, can provide various hotel options based on a single search in your destination’s vicinity.
  2. When viewing the hotel search results, please prioritize hotels nearest the event location that meet your budget and price limitations.
  3. How to determine the hotels’ proximity to the event location:
  4. The above suggested hotel sites provide a feature that allows you to view the hotel results on a map.

Figure 1: Google Hotel Finder automatically maps your hotel search results

Figure 2: Using Expedia, click the "View Hotels on a Map" icon in the hotel result page’s left panel to map the hotels.

Figure 3: Using Travelocity, click the "Map View" tab on the results page to map the hotel results.

  1. In a separate window, you may also need to access a map site, such as Google Maps or MapQuest, to find the event’s location and judge its relative proximity to the mapped hotel results.
  1. Some hotels listed in your search results may not be available during the event. To investigate the hotel’s availability, please check the hotel’s website, which you can find using an Internet search engine, but do not make a reservation.The reservation process is explained in the arranging stage, which begins on page10.

Portland Airport Lodging

If you or an OSU candidate has an early morning flight leaving from Portland Airport, the department may pay for lodging near the airport for one night before the departure date. The following Portland Airport hotel is preferred because it provides:

  • Room and tax charges billed directly to your department’s index,
  • Discounted lodging rates, and
  • Free parking near the airport

Hotel name / Address / Discounted room rate / Perks
Radisson Hotel Portland Airport / 6233 NE 78th Ct.
Portland, OR 97218 / $92.00 plus tax / 2 weeks free parking.
Direct billing available

Note: Other Portland hotels may require a departmental account or Purchase Request for direct billing. If your department needs to create an account, please ask the AABC MU Travel Contact for assistance.

Air Fare

Since OSU holds contracts with two local travel agencies, Azumano and Teel’s Travel Planners, the AABC highly recommends using them for your airfare. These travel agencies provide the following benefits:

  1. Your airfare cost can be directly billed to your department/unit’s funds via OSU index, which results in more timely and accurate accounting records.
  2. Billing through Azumano or Teel’s Travel Planners is a faster and more efficient process than your only other option, which is to purchase your airfare and request reimbursement after the trip.
  3. You avoid out-of-pocket expenses and do not need to retain receipts or airfare quotes for reimbursement because airfare is paid in advance.
  4. OSU can fully pay your airfare throughAzumano or Teel’s Travel Planners.

However, Azumano and Teel’s Travel Plannersalsopresent the following three caveats:

  1. Online airfare prices may differ from the travel agencies’ prices.
  2. Azumano charges a $25 service fee per individual ticket, and Teel’s charges a $32 service fee per individual ticket. The service fee is reduced to $22 per person when booking a group of ten or more travelers.
  3. All airfare purchases arenonrefundable. The cancellation policy varies by airline, but usually a small credit may be obtained for the traveler’s next airfare purchase within one year.

To obtain flight options and prices,you may contact a travel agency using the contact information below. If the agency asks for your travel authorizer, please provide the AABC MU Travel Contact’s actual name.